Happenings

GREATER VISION IN CONCERT AT PIONEER DRIVE BAPTIST

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7. An offering will be taken. Singing News magazine and the Southern Gospel Music Association have named Greater Vision Gospel Music’s favorite trio. The group also has received numerrous honors for Song of the Year, A;lbum of the Year, Video of the Year and Artist of the Year.

One member, Rodney Griffin, has been named Songwriter of the Year every year since 1998 and Favorite Baritone multiple times. Gerald Wolfe has beern named Favorite Male Vocalist seven times.

MUSLIM IMMIGRATION THEME OF HPU LECTURES

Howard Payne University’s 12th annual Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics will feature guest speaker Dr. Matthew Kaemingk, assistant professor of Christian ethics and associate dean for Fuller Texas at Fuller Seminary. The lectures, which are free and open to the public, will be held Thursday and Friday, Feb. 7-8.

Admission is free but reservations are requested. For reservations or more information, contact HPU’s School of Christian Studies by e-mail at currie-strickland@hputx.edu or by phone at 325-649-8403.

Kaemingk will focus on the theme “Muslim Immigration: Following Christ Through the Debate.” Thursday’s lecture, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., is titled “Muslim Immigration and Christ’s Crown.” Friday morning at 10 a.m., Kaemingk will speak on “Muslim Immigration and Christ’s Cross.” Both discussions will take place in the Richard and Wanda Jackson Conference Room of HPU’s Paul and Jane Meyer Faith and Life Leadership Center.

In addition to his roles at Fuller Seminary, Kaemingk is a scholar-in-residence for the Max De Pree Center for Christian Leadership. He also serves as a fellow for the Center for Public Justice. His research and teaching focus on Islam and political ethics, faith and the workplace, theology and culture, and Reformed public theology. His book on Christian political ethics, titled “Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear,” was published by Eerdmans in 2018.

From 2013 to 2017, Kaemingk served as executive director of the Fuller Institute for Theology and Northwest Culture in Seattle, Washington. Founding the institute in 2013, he helped to launch three innovative theological initiatives with the help of two major grants from the Murdock Charitable Trust. These new initiatives were designed to equip regional churches to engage the arts, marketplace and culture of the Pacific Northwest.

He earned his master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and holds doctoral degrees in systematic theology from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and in Christian Ethics from Fuller Theological Seminary. In 2011, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to go to Amsterdam to study political theology and the European conflict over Muslim immigration. An ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church, Kaemingk lives in Houston with his wife, Heather, and their three sons, Calvin, Kees and Caedmon.

The Currie-Strickland lecture series is made possible through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Gary Elliston and was established to honor the life of Dr. David R. Currie, retired executive director of Texas Baptists Committed, and the memory of Phil Strickland, who dedicated nearly 40 years of ministry to the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Christian Life Commission.

SHABBAT SERVICE JAN. 11 AT TEMPLE MIZPAH

Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut, will have Shabbat services at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, led by

Cantor Monica O’Desky. The Women’s Auxiliary will host an Oneg following services. For

HANUKKAH SERVICES AT TEMPLE MIZPAH

Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut St., will celebrate Hanukkah with a dinner and services on

Friday, Dec. 7.

The dinner will start at 6 p.m., with services to follow at approximately 7 p.m. Cost is $5.

Call 325-572-3037 to make a dinner reservation. Services will be led by Cantor Monica

O’Desky.

FUN IN THE ALDERSGATE COMMUNITY GARDEN

Aldersgate United Methodist Church is hosting three events in their community garden this fall for church members and the public.

The garden is located at the corner of South 19th and Amarillo streets. A Pumpkin Patch will open at 10 a.m. Oct. 20, a Thanksgiving potluck will be held on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) and a Community Christmas Tree Lighting will be held Dec. 9.

The Pumpkin Patch will serve as an opportunity for people to take pictures in the spirit of the season. Free popcorn and apple cider will be provided.